highfives

I think my only itch to pay full price from the NIN store is that off chance they're including something cool that isn't advertised with the first number of orders. They've done it with a bunch of stuff at this point so it's always a risk not instantly buying from them. Otherwise, being burned on Deviations and the Fragile make me want to wait for this to be $20 on Amazon.

The second EP from In Parallel (ex-Hopesfall, ex-Celebrity). This one is produced by Ken Andrews (Failure). They also signed to Wiretap Records for this one. It's a limited run /250, and has been up for a couple of weeks. I wouldn't sit on it for too long. https://wiretaprecords.limitedrun.com/products/676023-in-parallel-fashioner-12-ep

And I can’t believe I passed on it because it was an extra $5........

A legit update is Mike is recording Vennart LP3 right now. He has been updating his Patreon and unloading all kinds of little bits of music. Also, yeah, Oceansize rules.

Initial thoughts on the two singles: Overall, the production is a lot warmer and cohesive than Vol. 1. The vocals are still a little higher than I think everyone prefers with BC's voice, but it's sitting a little better in the mix than most of the SP V2 stuff. The Colour of Love is the stronger of the two for me, although the two songs remind me a little of Zero/God where they're kind of similar to a fault. It might be the synth lines and prominent female vocals. The bridge in TCOL, where everything drops and it comes back into that driving bass line and synth is perfect. Vocally and lyrically, TCOL is the stronger of the two. I dig the delivery BC's got going on. Overall, I think this one is a really great intro to what this record might be. The tease of Cyr had me anxious in a good way, but it's almost like everything heard in the teaser is everything the song has to offer. Kind of a one-trick pony. I dig the vibe but I almost feel like it should be the b-side to TCOL. There's some weird vocal phrasing, especially in that bridge. It kind of suffers from the newer lyrical approach Billy has had for a while where he's trying to sound really smart and uses uncommon wording. "TANGENTS VEX THE WHORL", "‘MIDST THE CHAFF, AS MEEK AND THOSE WEAK, AS SAND "... lines like that are just not that relatable, a spot where old SP really shined. Maybe all of this rolls up into a bigger story (obviously we're in some kind of big concept, whether that ends up being explained or not...) but as a song, that lyrical wordplay doesn't really do it for me on the surface. After these two, I think we're in for a solid record. Although I am hoping for some huge drums, crushing guitars, and some dream-pop metal or something.

Another counter has been added and the “Explore the Ritual” site. https://www.smashingpumpkins.com Still trying to figure out puzzle #2, but answering the word jumble will get you a 20% off code good between 8/28 and 8/31... so you can guess something is popping up on the store after the single is released Friday.

Looks like vol 2 is coming out on Sumerian Records. The teaser sounds really good! Hoping it’s mixed well all around (including vocals).

Not sure who vinlymnky is but they've got it cheap(er). Looks like the 9LP is already sold out there. https://www.vinylmnky.com/products/tom-petty-wildflowers?variant=32533521596495 Edit: looks like they're a subscription service.

No preorder info yet, but there's a new single - Humility. The EP should be out on 9/25 via Make Records. Sounds like a nice combination of Life Begins Again and The Parable. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimryan1/2020/08/20/intinterview-jimmy-chamberlin-smashing-pumpkins-exclusive-premiere-jimmy-chamberlin-complex-single-humility-new-album-honor-/#71b52bf1924f https://www.makerecords.com/?pgid=kcp1bzml-c5875bd3-a6ff-4142-9686-a298def256d3

We’ll probably have to wait a while for that one - like after all the TFE and Zwan stuff. There are so many reissues I want to see happen though, I just hope they do.

Something about listening to this one on vinyl hit me in a way streaming it didn’t. I’d recommend it. As for pressing quality, my copy was flat but did have a little surface noise in a couple of places out of the box. I’ll run it through the spin clean and it will probably be perfect. Aside from those couple of pops, it’s a quiet and rich sounding pressing.

I’m going to assume the first one is single #1 for Vol. 2 and the last one is the release date for the album. One might be for a video release since BC posted a teaser for making a video. I’m doubtful the other ones are all additional singles, but you never know? I’m not sure I believe any of those is the Machina reissue only because it’s all themed the same way and feels like it should all be related to the new album.

Casey said they’re looking into adding other shipping options. Something about their store not being able to tell when the orders exceed media mail limits. Looks like there are only a few of the pink left outside of bundles. But there are loads of white.

Unrelated to these releases but, the Honorary Astronaut single just dropped. For those who don't know, this is a Casey solo side project.

Looks like they listed about 30 of them today. Keep refreshing because there might be more popping up. Kinda crazy there was that much back stock this long after release, but who knows what their warehouse looks like?